Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes (P6): 6/10
Antonelli didn’t appear to be struggling with the same level of tyre wear as teammate Russell, but he still finished behind the Briton owing to a lack of pace compared to his experienced teammate. The young Italian was able to stick to the rear of Leclerc in the opening stages of the race, eventually lost touch and only held the spotlight briefly when passing Hadjar for sixth down the main straight on lap 30.
George Russell, Mercedes (P5): 7/10
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was probably Russell’s worst race weekend so far in 2025, which is saying something considering he still finished in P5. Qualifying went very well for the British driver, finishing in third place and believing he could have gotten pole were it not for overheating tyres in the final sector. In fact, overheating tyres were the downfall of Russell and Mercedes during the race itself; he held third for a good while but was forced to slow down and protect his tyres from tearing apart. Leclerc and Norris passed him in relatively quick succession as a result.
